Snow Monkey Paternity Tests Reveal Surprising Results

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

by Lincoln Park Zoo

in

Regenstein Macaque Forest

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Akita…you are NOT the father. A paternity test revealed that mid-ranking male Miyagi, not alpha male Akita, is the sire of all four Japanese macaques born at Lincoln Park Zoo’s Regenstein Macaque Forest.

Miyagi has sired Otaru (female, born May 2015), Iwaki (female, born March 2016), Nagoya (female, born April 2016) and Obu (male, born May 2016). Obu currently resides at Minnesota Zoo.

“Our keepers frequently refer to Miyagi as ‘Mr. Mom’ because all of the youngsters seem to prefer spending time with him over other adult males in the troop,” says Lincoln Park Zoo Curator of Primates Jill Moyse. “We now have scientific evidence to validate this nickname.”

All four infants were a part of the Japanese Macaque Species Survival Plan® (SSP), which cooperatively manages the accredited-zoo snow monkey population based on genetic and demographic analyses coordinated at Lincoln Park Zoo’s Population Management Center.

While primates typically receive specific breeding pair recommendations, the snow monkeys arrived at Lincoln Park Zoo in 2014 from Japan Monkey Center as part of an international partnership providing invaluable genetic diversity to the SSP.

“When the Japanese macaques arrived at Lincoln Park Zoo, none of the adult males or females had ancestors in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums population,” says Population Management Center Director Kristine Schad. “This meant any offspring would be genetically valuable to sustain the AZA population. With such a prolific breeder in the group, we now have additional scientific data to inform the breeding and transfer recommendations for this species.”

In addition to paternity tests, which were conducted in a genetic lab using blood samples obtained during routine veterinary exams, Lincoln Park Zoo’s behavioral research team has data further proving that when it comes to copulation, rank doesn’t matter.

Using ZooMonitor, an app developed at Lincoln Park Zoo to record and analyze animal behavior in order to promote animal welfare, behavioral scientists at the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes observed and recorded the amount of times male macaques engaged in copulation behaviors. Though not the dominant male, Miyagi far outperformed other adult males Akita and Kuma, and was responsible for roughly 65 percent of the total mounts observed during the 2015 breeding season, when Otaru, Nagoya and Iwaki were conceived.

“It’s exciting to see the correlation between our behavioral research and the results of these paternity tests,” says Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes Research Scientist Katie Cronin, Ph.D. “We’ll continue to leverage these observational data in order to learn more about the animals in our care to promote their welfare, sometimes encountering fascinating insights along the way.”

Japanese macaques are found throughout most of Japan and are known for their tolerance for extreme climates, from subtropical lowlands to subalpine regions. While snow monkey populations do have alpha males, rank is determined by matrilines, or the rank of an offspring’s mother.